The Believer
by Kanshisha Tenshi
Summary: Slightly OOC-ish. Please review. I love L/Z fics, so I mostly write those. Hence the pairing for this fic. Surprised? Zel has his doubts about love, until Lina clears that up for him. ^.~


The Believer  
  
By Kanshisha Tenshi  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, I do not own the song, "I'm a Believer." I wish I did, but I don't, so if you try to sue me I will laugh at you.  
  
I thought love was only true in fairy tales  
  
Zelgadis sighed as he continued walking. Love wasn't real. It couldn't be. If it was, then the Fates were simply playing a cruel joke on him. Of course Lina wouldn't love him. She loved Gourry. And if not him, then Xellos. He was just a loser without a love life. Love didn't exist for him.  
  
Meant for someone else, but not for me  
  
She was meant to be with Gourry. Everyone thought so. Lina did, Xellos did, he did, Gourry did, deep down Sylphiel did, Filia did, Amelia did, Martina and Zangulus did, even the crazy fanfiction writers living in la-la-land and writing nothing but out of character silliness did! He just wasn't meant to love, or be loved. Love didn't suit him. It hated him with a passion.  
  
Love was out to get me, that's the way it seemed  
  
Love hated him. He hated him. L-sama hated him. Fate hated him. Fate; that's who he would blame it on. Fate is blamed for every misfortune on the earth, never thanked for the good times; it was a scapegoat, an entity made for blaming. Love had a way of smacking him in the face.  
  
Disappointment haunted all my dreams  
  
Every time he ever fell in love in his life he was knocked flat on his rear by refusals and disappointments. No one ever loved him, no one loves him, no one ever will love him. Even more so if he never finds that cure. He glared at Gourry, silently cursing the dumb blonde for stealing away the love of his life. It was horrible. Day and night he was haunted by their relationship. During the day he had to watch them. At night he dreamt about Lina, and Gourry. It made him sick to see them so happy, oblivious to the way he felt.  
  
And then I saw her face  
  
He remembered the first time he met her. It had taken all of his will power not to stare at her. She looked so sweet, so angelic, even though she was the opposite. He knew right from the start he loved her, and back in the old days he had sworn to win her somehow. Why else do you think he freed her? Yes, love was his real reason for cutting her free of those ropes. She was absolutely amazing. How could he let a pretty face like hers die a horrible, embarrassing death?  
  
Now I'm a believer  
  
Back then he had something to hope for. Back then he had dreams. Back then he believed in love. Love at first sight was a heartbeat away. Unfortunately, his confidence and beliefs diminished as time went by. Seeing Lina and Gourry like that--he couldn't bear it. He no longer believed in love.  
  
Not a trace of doubt in my mind  
  
Oh, how he had loved her! How he had yearned for her every time he left the gang in search of his cure! But then, he reflected, Amelia seemed rather infatuated by him...maybe love was true. It simply wasn't true for him. Just some faraway dream that fools believed in.  
  
I'm in love (Ooh)  
  
Well...now that he thought about it, maybe love was real. It just didn't work out for him is all. He certainly loved Lina. She just didn't love him back. No one ever did, save Amelia. But he was certain her infatuation was just an adolescent crush. He didn't return the princess's feelings. Although, if Lina loved him, he'd be more than happy for the feelings to be mutual...  
  
I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I tried  
  
Ok, so maybe he believed in love. And maybe the reason he stayed with their little group was because of his love for Lina. So what? That realization proved nothing to him whatsoever. It didn't help him gain her love, trust and devotion. It didn't give him what he wanted: her. And so, he stayed, played their silly little games, put up with them, fought by their side, and all for her. All for nothing, now.  
  
I thought love was more or less a given thing  
  
He vaguely remembered when, in his adolescence, all of the other children would talk about love, and how simple it was. You fall in love, you date, you marry, you live happily ever after. If only he had known better! If only he could go back in time and convince himself not to believe those mind games and fall for such an immature idea like love! Love was not merely so simple. If it was, would he be so miserable? No.  
  
The more I gave, the less I got, oh yeah  
  
It seemed that every time he tried leaving simple messages or flirting with Lina she would ignore him. The harder he tried the more she pushed him away. Truthfully, it was because she didn't know how to respond. But did he know that? Of course not. Maybe if I flirt with her less, he mused, she'll come to love me more for it. Nah.  
  
What's the use in trying?  
  
He decided then and there to give up and just watch from afar. He would ignore the bad dreams and live his life alone. Empty. He felt so empty. He would become as stone-hearted as he looked and never think again on his lady love. Never. There was no need to try anymore.  
  
All you get is pain  
  
Despite his resolution, however, Zel found himself hurting all the more with each passing day. Seeing those two together, so happy...it made him furious. He wished he could just yell at them, scream at them to stop, to pay attention to the way he was acting, find out how he felt about all of it. They wouldn't. He wouldn't do it, anyway. He just wasn't the type.  
  
When I wanted sunshine, I got rain  
  
It was raining. He didn't feel the cold, but he knew Lina did. They were miles from the nearest town. He sighed and walked over to her. The others were asleep in their tents, like he should have been. It was Lina's watch, after all. He dropped down beside her and put his cloak over her protectively, drawing her near and warming her with his body heat. Whatever he had to offer, that is. She stiffened a little at first, then warmed into his body, embracing him. He nearly had a nosebleed, and he didn't notice the blush that stained her cheeks.  
  
"Thanks, Zel," she breathed.  
  
"You're welcome," he replied. They remained silent for a while.  
  
"Hey, Zel?" Lina spoke up after a few minutes.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can I talk to you about something?"  
  
"Sure. What is it?"  
  
"Well, I...I don't know how to say this..." Zelgadis waited patiently for her to speak, and, finally, she did. "Well, I know I act like I date Gourry and all, but the thing is...we decided long ago that it would never work out between us as anything more than friends," she said slowly. "And I noticed how you flirt with me--"  
  
"How?" he asked, disbelieving.  
  
"It's real easy to tell, Zel; you're not the best at it, and you're a little clumsy," she said, giggling. Her tone turned serious, however, when she said, "But I need to know--do you love me?"  
  
"Yes," he replied regretfully. She smiled and looked up at him.  
  
Then I saw her face  
  
Her cheeks were pink from an oncoming blush, her eyes were sparkling, her lips suddenly looked rosy, and she was smiling--at him.  
  
"That's all I needed to know," she said, and kissed him on the cheek. His face turned immediately from its light blue to a dark red color.  
  
"Lina--?"  
  
"Yes, Zel. I love you, too." He smiled dazedly, and they cuddled together for the rest of the night, occasionally looking long and hard into each other's eyes.  
  
Now I'm a believer  
  
That was all Zel needed to believe in love once again. Absent-mindedly, he thanked L-sama, and then Fate. Fate, surprised, was glad for the first time in its life, and blessed the happy couple. L-sama, watching her chosen one, Lina, also blessed the two.  
  
Not trace of doubt in my mind  
  
Zelgadis no longer doubted that his future was going to be bright and certain. For once, he was ecstatic, having the one he loved most dearly by his side...permanently. Gourry and Amelia weren't surprised at the news of the new relationship in their midst, having suspected the two loved each other desperately from the beginning. Gourry coupled with Sylphiel, also not a surprise to the group. Xellos swept Filia off her feet--literally, in a sense--and Amelia went back to Saillune, where she married the man her father picked for her--someone she had met long ago and had...acquainted herself with at the age of ten. Xellos and Filia lived happily at Filia's mace and pottery shop with their son, Valteria; Gourry and Sylphiel went to Sairaag, where Gourry became the town's protector; and Lina and Zelgadis walked off into the sunset, in search of Zel's cure.  
  
I'm in love (Ooh)  
  
Zelgadis soon proposed to Lina. About the same time they heard about Amelia's, Gourry's and Sylphiel's, and Xellos's and Filia's weddings. The six decided to have a joint wedding, and so they did. During the entire ceremony, Zel was staring into Lina's crimson eyes, and she stared back into his cerulean eyes. They certainly were in love. The festivities afterwards were sponsored by the Royal Family of Saillune, and Xellos's never ending supply of money. In other words, there was enough food to feed all of the guests, including Lina and Gourry.  
  
I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I tried  
  
Lina and Zelgadis wandered lazily off into the sunset, holding hands. How sweet they looked together!  
  
Then I saw her face!  
  
Now I'm a believer!  
  
Not a trace of doubt in my mind!  
  
Now I'm a believer, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH!  
  
Now I'm a believer  
  
Not a trace...of doubt in my mind...  
  
And so the two, with the blessings of Shabranigdo (surprised?), Ceipheed (thanks to Luna), L-sama, and Fate itself, lived Happily Ever After.  
  
The End. (Finally.) 


End file.
